Wayne County Reads book named
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on January 22, 2014 1:46 PM
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"The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien is the book for this year's Wayne County Reads.
The book has been chosen and an array of activities to support this year's "Wayne County Reads" effort is set to unfold over the next two months.
This year's selection for the one-book, one-community project is "The Things They Carried," a collection of stories by Tim O'Brien about a platoon of American soldiers in the Vietnam war, written in 1990.
Many of the characters depicted in the book are semi-autobiographical and share similarities to O'Brien's previous works, including the memoir "If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home."
Copies are already on display at the Wayne County Public Library or can be purchased through Wayne Community College bookstore or Books-A-Million in Goldsboro.
In addition to encouraging county residents to read the book, Wayne County Reads incorporates a variety of free public programs such as lectures, exhibits, performances, films, discussions and contests to explore its themes and subjects.
Launching this year's schedule is an exhibit created and curated by Martin Tucker. "A Thousand Words: Photographs by Vietnam Veterans" will be featured at the Arts Council of Wayne County through the end of this month. It will then be on display in the Moye Library at Mount Olive College from Feb. 1-18, and from Feb. 19-March 4 at the Wayne County Museum.
The actual kick-off will be on Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. in Moffatt Auditorium on the Wayne Community College campus. N.C. Poet Laureate Joseph Bathanti will speak about the book, with a reception provided by the women of St. Francis Episcopal Church.
This year's event also includes a youth component, with a companion book being introduced for the younger segment of the population.
On Saturday, Feb. 8, at 10 a.m. in Weil Auditorium at Wayne County Public Library, Frances O'Roark Dowell, author of "Shooting the Moon," will be speaking about her book. It chronicles the story of a 12-year-old whose brother is sent to Vietnam.
Moye Library at MOC will host a lecture by Dr. Alan Lamm on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. He will speak about "Vietnam War: A Historical Overview."
Lunchtime book discussions also are planned. on Feb. 12 and 13 at noon. The Wednesday "Brown Bag Book Club" will meet at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base library, while the Thursday opportunity with Kay Cooke will be held in Weil Auditorium of the main branch of the Goldsboro library and will feature a light lunch.
"Wings and Wrenches: An Oral History of the 6th Air Commando Squadron," a talk by Arthur Halliday, will take place on Monday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. in Moye Library.
Dr. Steven Hannant will address the issue of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder during a program at the Wayne County Public Library on Tuesday evening, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m.
A "living history" writing contest is also being organized, with details to be announced.
The finale is expected to be a recognition of writing contest winners as well as an opportunity to view the museum's exhibit of related artifacts and photos. Tentative date for the event is March 4 a the Wayne County Museum.
All events are free and open to the public.
For more information on the program and its related events, visit www.waynereads.com or the Facebook page, www.facebook.com/Wayne CountyReads.